Time controlled switch



y 1941- J. D. CRENSHAW 2,242,056

TIME CONTROLLED SWITCH Filed June 8, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 (III. I

LIIIIIII/M y 1941- .1. D. cRENsHAw 2,242,056

TIME CONTROLLED SWITCH Filed June 8, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented May 13, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TIME CONTROLLED SWITCH John D. Crenahaw, Chicago, Ill.

Application June 8, 1938, Serial No. 212,507

9 Claims.

This invention relates to time controlled switches in general and more particularly to such switches as are suitable for adaptation to an ordinary commercial alarm clock whereby the same may control the turning on or of! of electrical household devices.

It is highly desirable that such switches be capable of ready adaptation to the various commercial forms of alarm clocks without the necessity of machine or mechanical work and the primary object of this invention is to provide such a switch and associated parts for mounting the same on the clock and enabling it to be controlled thereby.

A further object is to provide such a switch and associated parts which is economical of manufacture, convenient of assembly, simple of operation and accessible for inspection, renewal or repair.

Other and further objects of this invention will become more apparent as the same becomes better understood from an examination of the specification and claims in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a rear elevation showing a standard form of alarm clock with a switch embodying this invention mounted thereon for control thereby:

Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevational view of the switch housing taken from the side thereof pposite to that shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a washer such as may be used on the outer end of the alarm winding shaft on which the lower end of the switch supporting arm is mounted;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary detail view, with parts omitted, showing the switch actuating trigger;

Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the parts after the trigger has been actuated:

Fig. 6 is an enlarged section taken at the line 6-6 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is a detail view, with parts omitted, taken at the line |--'l of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail view of a ratchet disk forming a part of the switch actuating mechanism;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail view of the shaft for the switch actuating mechanism;

Fig. 10 is an enlarged fragmentarydetail section showing the contact blades of the switch and support therefor;

Fig. 11 is an enlarged detail elevational view of the indicator disk for the switch;

Fig. 12 is an enlarged detail fragmentary view of stop means for limiting the movement of the trigger which releases the switch actuating mechanism and for stopping the alarm mechanism of the clock;

Fig, 13 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of a part of the stop means of Fig. 12.

Referring to the drawings more particularly, reference character I generally designates a switch device attached to the back of a standard alarm clock 2.

The device I includes a pair of vertical circular frame plates 3 and 4 held in spaced relation by horizontal supporting bars or pins such as 5, 6, I and 8.

An adjustable arm 9, including a slotted stem iii and an integral apertured enlarged circular end II, is attached to the plate 4 by means of an adjustable screw l2. The stem in rests in a. groove i3 forming a guideway in the plate 4. The end II is adapted to fit over the outer end I of the alarm winding stem of the clock 2. Washers I! (Fig, 3) of hard rubber, fibre, or the like, may be used in event the end II is too small in diameter to snugly fit within the end ii.

A sheet metal box-like combined extension housing and frame I5 is supported by and depends from bars or pins 1 and 8. This frame l5 contains a vertically reciprocal latch member which forms the head of a pin ll, said pin extending through an aperture in the bottom of said frame and being pivotally connected to a trigger member it. The trigger member II is provided with a pair of integral abutments or lugs l9 and 20, one on each side of the pivotal connection, whereby actuation of said member, either to the right or the left of such pivotal connection, will cause the same to pivot about the point of contact between one of said lugs and the bottom of said frame l5 to thereby cause downward movement of latch l6 against a compression spring 2|. The spring 2| surrounds the pin I1 and acts between the head or latch i6 and the bottom of the frame IS.

The alarm winding key 22 (see Fig. 5), when set in motion by the release of the alarm actuating mechanism of the clock 2 at the predetermined time for which the clock has been set, will actuate the trigger member l8 regardless of whether the shaft I4 is designed to rotate in a clock-wise or counter-clock-wise direction upon such release. When the latch I6 is actuated the switch, hereinafter more particularly described, is either opened or closed depending upon whether it was previously closed or open, respectively, as will become apparent from the details of the mechanism hereinafter described.

A central shaft 23 is journalled between the plates 3 and 4. This shaft 23 is provided with a squared intermediate portion 24 (Fig. 9) on which is mounted a cam 25 and a ratchet-like disk 26 for rotation with the shaft. A lever 21 is also mounted on the shaft 23 and includes a handle 28 and an opposite depending abutting portion 29 which is adapted to be engaged and disengaged by the latch 16.

A casing 30 snugly fits over the frame plates 3 and 4, from the right, viewing Fig. 6. This casing 30, as shown in Fig. 5, is provided with a 100 degree arcuate slot 3|, the casing at either end of said slot forming stops or limits for the movement of lever 21 since the handle 28 extends out of said slot limiting the movement of said lever to slightly more than a quarter turn. A coil spring 32 surrounds the shaft 23 between plate 3 and lever 21 with its opposite -ends attached, respectively, to said plate and lever whereby said spring acts to normally and yieldably hold the lever in upward position and incidentally against the side of disk 26. The teeth of disk 26 are on the side thereof; they are 90 degrees apart and are adapted to be engaged by lever 21 and actuated thereby to give said disk and the cam 25 one quarter turn each time the latch I6 is lowered by the alarm mechanism of the clock. The lever 21 may be manually restored by manually actuating the handle 28 to upward position, said lever riding over the preceding tooth on the disk 26 without reversing the movement thereof and lever portion 29 re-engaging latch l6.

Cam 25 is provided with a pair of diametrically opposite low spots 33 and a pair of diametrically opposed high spots 34 whereby one quarter turn from a low spot will bring a low spot and vice versa from a given position such as that shown in Fig. '7 wherein a low spot is shown on said cam below a pair of switch contacts 35 and 36.

These contacts 35 and 36 are carried on flexible metal blades 31 and 38, respectively, extending from and suitably attached to opposite sides of an elongated block 6a of insulation material. These blades 31 and 38 are soldered, respectively, to two wires leading from a plug 39. This plug 39 has a pair of male elements 40 and 4| adapted to be connected to the usual household electric service plug and a pair of female elements 42 and 43 adapted to receive the attachment plug from any household utility such as a radio receiver, washing machine, etc. The male element 40 and female element 42 of plug 39 are not connected directly together but are connected, respectively, to the wires leading to the blades 31 and 38 and contacts 35 and 36 carried thereby so that any household utility plugged into elements 42 and 43 may be connected to the source, into which elements 40 and 4! are plugged, only when said contacts are closed and may be disconnected from said source when said contacts are separated.

In order to prevent any short-circuiting, the cam 25 is preferably made of non-conducting material such as hard rubber, fibre, Bakelite or the, like.

An indicator disk 44 with a pair of diametrically opposed indications on, corresponding to high spots 34 on cam 25, and a pair of diametrically opposed indications oif, corresponding to low spots 33 on said cam, is mounted on fiattened portion 25 of shaft 23 outside of plate 3. The casing 30 is provided with an aperture 45 In order that the alarm key 22 may be held and thus prevent the clock alarm from going oil, a U-shaped, slightly flexible, wire-like member 46 is provided for limiting the movement of trigger member l8, as. shown in Fig. 12, to a position wherein said trigger, at its extreme movement, as a stop for said key.

A pair of strips 41 struck from the arm 8 act as bearings for the member 46 permitting the same to be manually swung upward to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 13 to release the trigger l8 and key 22 when it is desired to wind the clock alarm spring (not shown) or to restore the switch mechanism just described.

I am aware that many changes may be made and details varied without departing from the principles of my invention and I therefore do not wish to be limited to the details shown or described.

I claim:

1. A device of the character described comprising a switch adapted to open or close a circuit, depending upon whether the switch previously was closed or opened, the switch being provided with spring operating means and manually operable means for setting said first means and pivoted trigger means operable in either direction about its pivot by a time controlled element, whether the same moves in either one of two opposite directions, for releasing said spring means, said switch, operating, setting and trigger means being in the form of a self-contained unit.

2. A device of the character described comprising a switch adapted to open or close a circuit, depending upon whether the switch previously was closed or opened, the switch being provided with spring operating means and manually operable means for setting said first means and pivoted trigger means operable in either direction about its pivot by the alarm winding shaft of an alarm clock, whether said shaft moves clock-wise or counter-clock-wise, for releasing said spring means, said switch, operating, setting and trigger means being in the form of a selfcontained unit adapted to be readily mounted on said clock.

3. A device of the character described comprising a switch adapted to open or close a circuit, depending upon whether the switch previously was closed or opened, the switch being provided with spring operating means and manually operable means for setting said first means and pivoted trigger means operable in either direction about its pivot by the alarm winding key of an alarm clock, whether said key moves to the right or the left, for releasing said spring means, said switch, operating, setting and trigger means being in the form of a self-contained unit adapted to be readily mounted on said clock.

4. A device of the character described comprising a switch adapted to control a circuit, the switch provided with spring operatingmeans and manually operated means for setting the first means, pivoted trigger means operable in either direction about its. pivot by an alarm clock winding key, whether the same moves to the right or the left, for releasing said spring means, and means for limiting the movement of'said trigger means to cause the same, in turn, to limit movement of said key, said switch, operating, setting and trigger means being in the form of a selfcontained unit adapted to be readily mounted on an alarm clock.

5. A device of the character described comprising a switch provided with spring operating means and means for setting the spring means and pivoted trigger means operable in either direction about its pivot by a time controlled element, whether the same moves in either one 0! two opposite directions, for releasing said spring means, said switch, operating, setting and trigger means being in the form of a self-contained unit.

6. The combination with alarm clocks having keys of varying sizes for winding the alarm of a switch adapted to be readily attached to one of said clocks for operation by the key thereof to control the operation of an electrical device in accordance with the time set for the clock alarm to operate, said switch being provided with an adjustable arm provided with means for attachment directly to the back of the clock for mounting the switch on the clock in a variety of distances from the center of the key to accommodate difl'erent sizes 01' such keys.

7. A device of the character described comprising a switch provided with spring operating means, manually operated means for setting said first means and pivoted trigger means operable in either direction about its pivot by the alarm winding key of an alarm clock, whether said key moves to the right or the left, for releasing said spring means.

8. A device of the character described comprising a switch provided with spring operating means, and trigger means for setting in motion said spring means, said last means being normally in line with the center of the alarm winding key of an alarm clock, and means for supporting said switch on the clock with said last means in such relation.

9. The combination as set forth in claim 6 with the adjustable arm provided with an opening for receiving the alarm winding shaft of the clock.

JOHN D. CREN SHAW. 

